Marin Readers' Forum for March 1

As president of the Marin County Association of Retired Employees, I support public pensions.

Our organization was started around 1970 in part to inform members of any pension/health care changes.

We are not a union and have no bargaining power, but we do speak up for our retirees.

We are one of 20 associations belonging to the California Retired County Employees Association, a statewide organization advocating for pension rights in Sacramento.

MCARE is not supported by public funds, just members' dues.

We offer scholarships to children or grandchildren of dues-paying members, and donate toys to the San Rafael Police officers' Santa Cop program.

We have over 1,000 dues-paying members, many with 20, 30 or more years of service, and we earned all our benefits.

Many still have mortgages; pay taxes, support adult children, work part-time and do volunteer work.

We contributed heavily toward our health and pension benefits, just as the current workforce does.

We were promised good benefits to stay for the long haul and in return provide the best service possible.

To pension critics, I say, please don't judge us all by a few rotten apples.

We pay income taxes on our pension and any Social Security benefits.

Some also pay toward health benefits for themselves and spouses.

We're tired of being scapegoats for the economic recession.

Current public employees should be respected and recognized for their hard work, too.

Think about this: If pension and health benefits for current or future employees are slashed, what type of workforce will remain to provide necessary public services?

How qualified and dedicated will they be?

Less pay and benefits does not equal good service.

Mary Ann Gallardo, San Rafael

WATER

Learning from the Zuni

With rainfall and water in short supply for a third year, I can't help thinking of my friends in Zuni, N.M. and their peaceful valley on the western slope of the Continental Divide.

The Zuni live in a perpetually thirsty land and prayers for rain are ritualized, woven into the very fabric of tribal life.

Theirs is a delicate eco-system —"The Land of Little Rain." And they know that.

The Zuni regard natural resources, especially water, as gifts from the Earth Mother and the Cloud Beings — by no means unlimited.

Every summer near the solstice, their rain priests go into seclusion, fasting, performing purification rituals and intoning traditional prayers. Dancers in full regalia dance continuously for 24 hours, taking only short rest breaks.

The whole village turns out to watch.

The sense of peace and harmony generated is truly contagious.

And quite mysteriously, more often than not, the clouds do come and pour out their favor.

For Marinites, the Zuni's alternate world view is worth pondering.

How green do we in Marin wish to be? How do we see ourselves first of all, as ecologists or water consumers?

Surely our resolve will be tested in what is certain to be an upcoming debate over desalination plant construction.

Personally, while not ruling out such an energy-intensive endeavor, I think desalination should be a last resort.

The Zuni attitude of mind is a living ecology, which gives nature back her power.

Peter Hensel, Corte Madera

EDUCATION

Local grad's good works

As two former Marin County educators and directors of the International Academy for Educational Entrepreneurship, we were pleased to read about the film "If You Build It."

As Mark Phillips pointed out in his Marin Voice column, this is an important film for those of us who are interested in education.

It was created and produced by a young Marin educational entrepreneur, Emily Pilloton. However we are just a bit disappointed in Phillips' column as it almost ignores Emily's background as an elementary student in the Kentfield School District as well as a graduate of Redwood High School.

Emily, currently managing an exciting program at the Berkeley Charter High School, is an outstanding example of young people who attend our schools.

We all should be proud both for her and of her.

Charles Lavaroni, San AnselMO

Don Leisey, San Rafael, Directors, International Academy for Educational Entrepreneurship

HOUSING

Time to take control

To paraphrase Shakespeare, "The fault, dear Kate, is not in our cars, but in our supervisors."

But maybe Vince Lombardi said it best, "What the hell's going on out there?"

Given the Feb. 21 Marin Voice column by Supervisor Kate Sears, the question needs to be put to our county supervisors.

Common sense should tell them that building high-density housing will not reduce the use of cars, but rather increase it.

To think otherwise is pure fantasy, but the 180-unit WinCup development is a reality, a permanent eyesore reminiscent of Soviet-style housing but with better trim.

More seems to be on the way.

Sure, the supervisors are not responsible for that one, but this is the Marin to which they seem resigned.

High-density housing will put even more strain on our water, schools, traffic and fiscal health. Who among us asked for this?

With only a small percentage of Bay Area residents, Marin is automatically a small minority vote in the alphabet agencies like the Association of Bay Area Governments, or ABAG, etc. that claim to know what's best for us.

Maybe it's time for our various local city councils to meet together and exchange views on the major changes being proposed here since the supervisors have already shown their colors.

Denis Kelly, San Anselmo

LARKSPUR

Save our gas station

There is talk of a planning change that could lead to the demolition of the only gas station in downtown Larkspur and replace it with a bank.

I have been a resident of Larkspur for 32 years, and have patronized that station for as long as it has been in existence, both through the purchase of gasoline and having automotive repair done there.

I have not had a bad repair experience and the gasoline prices are consistently the lowest in the area.

Closing the station would be a major inconvenience for me, and I think a large segment of Larkspur residents would feel the same. The station is quite popular.

We have one gas station and one bank downtown. Why pervert the equation with two banks and no gas station?

I have a solution that should please everyone in the Larkspur and Corte Madera area. Have the bank purchase the hideous monstrosity being erected on the old WinCup property and tear it down, then build their new bank there.

That would be a win/win situation for all of us.

Bill Brennen, Larkspur

GUN CONTROL

Our right to self protection

I was most disappointed to read of Sheriff's Robert Doyle's opposition to the recent ruling by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the issuing of permits for concealed carry.

I have admired the sheriff for many things, not the least of which is the way he has stood up for the men and women on the front lines of law enforcement, however un-P.C. that may be for the head of a law enforcement agency to do in this day and age.

What disappoints me is the fact that Sheriff Doyle swore an oath to protect, defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States yet, in my opinion, has violated that oath by putting restrictions on the rights of "the people" to exercise one of their most basic and arguably most important amendments to the Constitution — the Second Amendment, the right of the people to self defense, protection and preservation.

You cannot pick and choose which parts of the Constitution you like or dislike. You cannot place restrictions on certain amendments simply because you don't agree with it, or because it is the politically correct thing to do.

How would the people react if some official, elected or otherwise, decided that one must go through an arduous permit process to attend the church of their choosing and show good cause why they chose that particular denomination?

To be secure in your home and papers you will need a special permit?

Or heaven forbid, need "permission after a show of good cause" to write a letter to the newspaper?

In light of the recent rash of home invasions, daytime burglaries, street crimes and at least three very recent shootings in San Rafael's Canal Area you'd think the rights of the law-abiding citizen to protect him or herself would take precedence over some feel good, liberal-ideal of "letting the police protect you."

No sheriff or police chief can decide that the Second Amendment is to be interpreted in a way to fit your own ideals. They cannot shirk their duty to defend our Constitution, a duty to which they swore.

Yet they are the underlying driving force behind the overly expensive, unnecessary and superfluous district road and trail plan.

A much larger group, overlooked by county management, is the overwhelmingly large majority of Marin property owners and taxpayers who, when polled scientifically, foresaw no need for the proposed mountain-biking enhancements and improvements hidden in and driving this plan, and no need to reward such a small minority for their misbehaviors.

The plan is designed to forego the real planning until later where the real impacts, mitigations and costs will be less obvious and dribbled out piecemeal to cover over the tens of millions of dollars this plan ultimately entails.

There is no need to waste Measure A funds on this plan.

Enforcement has been so obviously lacking and scofflaws have been permitted to roam wild at will?

The district has been making good progress in its preserve management over the years. Regular budgeting, grants and gifts allow us to continue making steady progress without wasting Measure A's treasure on this superfluous, profligate made-up trails plan.

The plan has been manufactured to stoke a small minority driven, bogus political agenda ... at huge public costs.